His seven symphonies cemented his status as one of the most inventive symphonic composers since Beethoven, even though his music is infused with the mythologies and natural wonders of his native Finland and helped explain the battle for independence. After its debut in 1899, the brief tone poem Finland Awakens—later titled Finlandia—became synonymous with the Finnish nation’s battle for independence and is now considered Sibelius’s most well-known composition. You may have heard the Christian hymn Be Still, My Soul, which is based on the hymn it closes with, on the soundtrack of Die Hard 2: Die Harder, which was directed by Finn Renny Harlin.
